Product Description

INSPIRATION. SUCCESS.
CONFIDENCE. PASSION.

No one is born with these qualities, but they are the key ingredients for reaching goals, building careers, or taking a blueprint and turning it into a breathtaking skyscraper. In The Trump Card, Ivanka Trump recounts the compelling story of her upbringing as the ultimate Apprentice, the daughter of Donald and Ivana Trump, and shares the life lessons and hardwon insights that have made her a rising star in the business world.

From her office in the Trump Organization, where she is a vice president of development and acquisitions and co-founder of The Trump Hotel Collection, to her career as an international model to the launch of her successful jewelry collection, Ivanka offers valuable, practical advice for young women. Whether it's landing that first job, navigating the workplace, or making a lasting impact, Ivanka shows how to:

• Use uncertainty to your advantage: thrive in any environment.

• Step up and get noticed at work: focus and efficiency will open doors.

• Create a strong and consistent identity: your name and reputation are your best assets.

• Know what you want: get the most out of any negotiation.

The Trump Card also features "Bulletins" from Ivanka's BlackBerry that tap into the wisdom of today's leaders, including Arianna Huffington, Tory Burch, and Cathie Black. "We've all been dealt a winning hand," Ivanka writes, "and it is up to each of us to play it right and smart."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3898 in Books
• Published on: 2009-10-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781439140017
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
A child of privilege with one of the most familiar surnames in America, Trump has managed to avoid many of the pitfalls that routinely plague children of the rich and famous (reckless partying, drug abuse and other mindless self-indulgences) to become a focused, successful woman in her own right-a model, entrepreneur and vice president of the Trump Organization. Eager to share what she's learned at some of the best schools in the country, as well as from her driven, successful parents, Trump is straightforward and fully self-aware, realizing that readers will dismiss her achievements as simple nepotism; as such, she owns her privilege, acknowledges her advantages and then sets about disabusing readers of their presumptions with intelligent, well-conceived, positive advice; unbridled ambition; and a strong measure of graciousness and humility. Throughout this self-help memoir, Trump has sprinkled succinct, practical quotes from famous associates like Arianna Huffington and Tory Burch, bringing further weight to this young career woman's accomplished work.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"The Trump Card is appealing, grounded, smart, and has a sense of humor. Ivanka Trump proves that believing in yourself and working hard never go out of style." -- ANNA WINTOUR, Vogue

Review
"The Trump Card is appealing, grounded, smart, and has a sense of humor. Ivanka Trump proves that believing in yourself and working hard never go out of style." -- ANNA WINTOUR, Vogue

Customer Reviews

Good book for Ivanka fans, not so much for those seeking advice
I like Ivanka Trump. I like what she stands for. She could have been another Paris Hilton ... a rich girl with no ambition other than to be famous. She has, instead, chosen a path that not many young women of her circumstance would have taken. I find fault with a lot of what she says in this book, but I do not deny that she is intelligent, well-adjusted, and not allergic to hard work like so many of her peers. I admire her for that and always have. I just wanted to get that out of the way, lest my review be discounted on some false belief that I am jealous of Ivanka.

I really wanted to like this book. I did not buy it thinking I would seriously be introduced to the secrets of winning at work and life by a 27-year-old who works for her father and has been given every possible advantage. But, rather than a how-to-succeed-in-business guide, the book comes off more like an attempt to prove that Ivanka isn't as spoiled as everyone thinks and that she does actually have a brain in her head.

The first half of the book is useless unless you are an Ivanka fan and want to know more about her upbringing. If you don't care about her childhood, the prestigious schools her father paid for her to attend, and the 100+ foreign countries she's been to, you can skip over this part. If you're really looking for her advice on how to succeed in the workplace, there are a few chapters of the book with tips on things like job interviews, e-mail and Blackberry etiquette, and how to negotiate with business associates. I don't think Ivanka deserves much credit for any of this because none of it is new or unusual. A 30-second Google search could provide the same tips for free. But at least it relates to what the book is supposed to accomplish.

Ivanka's challenge with this book is that she doesn't seem to understand that in the real world, no one gets hired as a VP in a multinational real estate development firm at the age of 24. She offers anecdotes of how she's tried to prove that she's worthy of the job, but she never comes around to admitting that she was in no way qualified for the position and that no matter how hard you work or how well-educated you are, unless you are the boss's kid, it will take decades for you to get to the same level that Ivanka has reached. She briefly mentions working for Bruce Ratner for one year right after she graduated and uses that to justify her rise to upper management in her father's business. As though it happens that way all the time. As though it was all a result of her hard work. It just doesn't work that way in real life, and she loses a lot of credibility by trying to suggest that she would have achieved the same level of success withour her last name.

The one reason I give the book 3 stars instead of 2 is that there was a brief moment where she offered advice that is useful to anyone, regardless of age, social status, or educational background. She makes a very strong argument for the value of hard work and making a real contribution. She points out that even if you don't have a Harvard degree like the person down the hall from you, you can still outwork that person by putting in more hours, coming up with better ideas, and making your contributions known to the people in charge. She offers an outstanding tip in this vein to anyone who wants to advance in their current company: if you're making the same contributions in Year 5 that you made in Year 1, you shouldn't be worried about promotions and raises ... you should be glad you still have a job. She is right on with this point, as too many people (especially young people, and I'm only 27, so I can say this without malice) think raises and promotions are a matter of time and not a result of effort and accomplishment.

I do think she is a great role model for wealthy children who have a chance to do something positive with their lives, but aside from the one tip I mentioned above, this book isn't going to help anyone who grew up in a poor or middle-class family, went to public schools, and didn't have an executive level job waiting for them in the famly business when they graduated from college.

Another Spoiled Brat
Ivanka tries (on almost every single page) to dispell the notion that she's spoiled by wealth and nepotism. However, all of her stories and defenses draw your attention to it more; how much she has been blessed by her family name and wealth. And her use of exclamation points!!! Enough!! Yes, she has a degree in finance, but that's about all the credibility she has in business. She is surrounded in the Trump Organization by older, wiser, and more educated individuals and yet, she's their boss. It's true, Ivanka isn't akin to Paris Hilton and some of the other uber-wealthy trust fund kids, and her brothers and she have really seemed to rise above the socialite status so many others seek. But, that still doesn't make her useful enough to be dispensing business advice. The book reads like an autobiography more than anything else - there is no useable information here. Her father, Donald, actually writes books that have value to you as a real estate investor/speculator. This book, not so much. The book is a step in building her own empire I suppose, but really it's nothing more than a first-hand account of how an ultra-wealthy daddy's girl wants you to take her seriously in business. And the truth is you just can't.

Three and a half stars
I remember seeing newspaper photos of Ivanka Trump when she was about 9 years old so it was with a wry smile that I noticed her book and realized she'd grown up. There is no doubt that she has been born into privilege and luxury and so it's on that note that we understand that she's clearly not like the majority of us. Still, assuming she did write the book herself (and not with the aid of a ghost writer as suggested in an earlier review), I found the book very well written and with a few pieces of advice that would help any aspiring executive. The aspect of the book that kept niggling me was that her main message was to "keep putting in the hours". Now this is fine if you're living within 20 minutes of the office and have someone to cook, clean and take care of things at home but for most of us with homes or apartments (and lives) to maintain it seems this has not been figured into the book because perhaps she has someone to do those mundane things for her. Who knows. However, I did enjoy the book; she's energetic, enthusiastic and adores her dad - an ideal daughter. She shared her tips of handwritten notes to people who've inspired her and advocates always acting like a lady; positive advice, especially in a time when role models for young businesswomen are very few. Now that Ivanka is engaged (there was no reference to her private life in the book at all), perhaps she would consider a book on balancing work, travel, planning a wedding and running a home, all the while looking fabulous and well rested. I don't mean to be mean, but in the real world this is where a lot of women would like some guidance. . .